Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 8) — The Department of National Defense is ‘trying its best’ to patrol the West Philippine Sea as China forges on with construction activities and maintains presence in disputed areas, Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday.
The Cabinet official said Filipino troops continue to patrol the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and the government is looking to invest in new equipment to boost military presence in disputed waters.
China has not stopped construction and improvements of artificial islands it earlier built in the South China Sea, and which were the subject of diplomatic protests lodged by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“Tuloy-tuloy yung kanilang improvement sa mga nagawa na nilang isla. Hindi po namin alam ano ang ginagawa nila sa mga isla nila, pero alam namin ay nandiyan sila palagi at tuloy ‘yung pagdami ng kanilang buildings diyan [China continues with improvements on the islands they built. We do not know what they are doing there, but we know that they are always there and the number of buildings remains on the rise],” Lorenzana said.
He added there is consistent presence of Chinese troops in Subi Reef, Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Reef — known locally as Zamora Reef, Panganiban Reef, and Kagitingan Reef.
“We are doing our best with the assets available to us na patrolyahan natin ang ating mga areas. It’s not adequate kasi napakalawak ng West Philippine Sea and the Navy has limited assets, also the Air Force, but we are trying our best with our limited assets to assert our sovereignty over the area,” Lorenzana also told lawmakers.
The House appropriations committee tackled the DND’s ₱208.7 billion budget for 2021, which is nearly 9 percent higher than this year’s funding. Lorenzana said the allocations will allow military forces to continue their patrols around the EEZ.
The Philippines is also beefing up its presence in the Kalayaan Island Group located off Palawan, with a cemented airport at Pag-Asa Island, seen ready by yearend. The area is one of the biggest islands occupied by the Philippines in the disputed Spratlys area.
China insists it has indisputable sovereignty over practically the South China Sea, rejecting a Hague tribunal’s ruling that invalidated its sweeping claim. The landmark decision recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights in areas within its exclusive economic zone that China claims.
Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and self-governing Taiwan also have their own territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, Lorenzana explained why the Armed Forces sat out during the naval exercises led by the United States in the South China Sea. “Kung talagang kailangan nating makipag-naval exercise with Americans, pwede nating gawin doon sa ating mga territorial waters diyan sa Sulu Sea, hindi doon sa disputed areas [If we really need to do naval exercises with Americans, we can do that in our territorial waters like the Sulu Sea but not in disputed areas],” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte gave a standing order for local forces not to take part in any joint military drills in the South China Sea, except in national waters.
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate questioned why the DND’s maintenance costs kept on rising through the years. The agency chief explained it reflects the higher cost of maintaining old and secondhand planes and ships which the DND previously bought from other countries.
RELATED: China puts up new research stations on PH-claimed reefs in West Philippine Sea
READ: China hits back at PH after diplomatic protest: Stop illegal provocations
READ: Joint patrols with more allies eyed amid ‘grave escalation’ of tensions in South China Sea – expert
He added that local troops regularly check if Chinese vessels have committed incursions within the EEZ, which would then trigger the filing of a diplomatic protest. The DND official added this is what the Philippines can do for now as the country remains ill-equipped compared to the mainland.
Lorenzana said the Philippines is not taking part in drills in contested waters to avoid being caught in the middle of Beijing and Washington, which have had trade and military standoffs in recent weeks.
READ: US imposes visa restrictions on Chinese persons responsible for militarization of South China Sea
